Cleveland Indians: How Does Danny Salazar’s Injury Impact the Tribe?

Cleveland Indians pitcher Danny Salazar is having his sore right forearm examined and will miss at least his next start. How will his injury impact the Tribe’s rotation?

It’s been a tale of two seasons for Cleveland Indians right-hander Danny Salazar, who was among the most dominant pitchers in the American League in the first half, but has struggled with arm problems and poor performances since the all-star break. The latest bit of bad news came on Friday night, when Salazar was lifted after just four innings in his start against the Minnesota Twins due to forearm tightness and soreness.

The Indians said the move was precautionary at the time, but on Saturday announced the 26-year old would be heading back to Cleveland to be evaluated and would miss his next scheduled turn in the rotation. Salazar has had starts pushed back and did a stint on the disabled list in August due to elbow soreness, so this latest development is certainly a cause for concern.

“He’s a little more sore today,” Indians manager Terry Francona said prior to Saturday’s game against the Twins. “We’ll get him worked up, get him imaged and all that, and then let the proper people look at it. Then, we can plan, when we know what’s going on. There’s really nothing else to do.”

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What this means in the short term for the Tribe is that Josh Tomlin and Mike Clevinger will take the ball on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, in Chicago against the White Sox. Tomlin has had his last two starts skipped due to the southward turn his season has taken in the second half. Since the all-star break, the righty has been knocked around to the tune of a 7.63 earned run average and 14 of his second-worst in MLB mark of 35 home runs allowed.

Clevinger has pitched well since returning from the minors on August 4th, though he has pitched mostly out of the bullpen. The rookie has made two starts recently, going 1.2 innings this past Monday and another four on Saturday as he gets stretched back out. Since his August 4th promotion, Clevinger has has tossed 25 innings, yielding nine runs on 19 hits, walking 15 and striking out 26. That’s a 3.24 ERA, a 1.73 strikeout to walk ratio, and 9.36 strikeouts per nine innings.

Long term, though, Salazar’s status causes larger questions. Cleveland has just 21 games remaining in the regular season, and enters play on Sunday with a six game lead in the AL Central. While the postseason hasn’t been clinched yet, the club is inching closer every day.

Having depth with the likes of Clevinger and Tomlin, plus the influx of bullpen arms from the minors thanks to September roster expansion, means the Indians should be able to weather the storm for the final three weeks. But what about the playoffs?

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With a starting rotation that includes Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer, the Tribe still has plenty of firepower for a postseason series, and given how dominant the bullpen has been the past month and a half, that may be enough. A four-headed monster that includes a healthy Salazar, though, could propel the team to the top of the contending heap in the American League.